Hmmmm.... Where have I been? Dwelling in the secret place of course. (smile)
Actually, it's been an interesting couple of weeks. I'm going through, well, a transition of sorts I guess. I've been spending a lot of time in prayer the last several weeks just seeking the Lord about alot of things. My purpose in life, how to balance a family with a full-time ministry call, and how to maximize the time I've been given here on planet earth to the fullest. Can you say more deep thoughts from Jack Handy?
Honestly though, this is actually the kind of stuff I think about all the time if you can believe it. I've never been very good at small talk really. I always seem to go deep. So for those of you looking to escape the real issues in life or not wanting to talk about things like "why are we here" or "what's the purpose of life," then you'd better run when you see me coming... (smile again)
But really, this is a very interesting time for me. I can sense a changing of seasons in my life just as summer is turning into fall here in Chicago. Somehow I know that change is coming for me, although I'm not sure exactly how. It's like I can sense something great right around the corner and I have an impatience in my spirit for it to happen even though I'm not exactly sure what it is. The last time I think I felt like this was when the Lord called me to leave my well-paying comfortable job at PeopleSoft to go into full-time ministry. So uh-oh... Who know what's bound to happen!!!
One thing I do know though - it's going to be GOOD!!!!
God's word says in Jer. 29:11-13 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." And in Ephesians 3:10 it says "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
God has awesome plans for us. And since I've been walking with closely with him for almost five years now, I can honestly say he's never let me down and that every year is better than the year before. When I look back from where I came from I am amazed. I mean - I went from being a depressed, lost and hurting person to someone who gets to experience the miracle working power of God on a daily basis! How awesome is that?
Sometimes, I feel like Jesus' disciples must have felt. I mean who am I that I get to work for Jesus and see his awesome miracles? I mean today for example. As I prayed for a man after service he was completly and miraculously healed of arthritis. He had been in pain for years he said, but not anymore. He walked out of church pain free after our prayer. God is awesome!!!
I never get tired of seeing him work. I never get tired of watching miracles happen and I never get tired of seeing the devil defeated. I'll tell you, before I started following God, I used to think all this healing and devil stuff was a joke. But now, I'm thrilled to see the same things that the bible says happed when Jesus walked on the earth, happen right before my eyes!!! Oh the gospel of Jesus Christ is glorious and what Hebrews 13:8 says is soooo true!!! "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever!!!" He's still healing the sick, he's still mending the broken hearted and he's still casting out devils!!! Man what an awesome thing it is to know him personally for yourself!
So as you can tell, I'm really excited and as I've been seeking the Lord this last couple of weeks, that is sort of what I've been studying - the life of Jesus. As Christians, we're supposed to live like him. We're supposed to walk in the supernatural everday and take the kingdom of God with us everywhere we go. If we see someone who's hurting, we should have the answer. If we see someone who's sick, we should have the cure. Why? Jesus is still alive. Living inside of every born-again Christian and guess what - he's still the same miracle working, water walking, bread and fish mutliplying, sinner loving person that he was 2,000 year ago.
Man do I love him... He's the best thing that ever happened to me!
Peace,
Schlyce
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Deep thoughts by Jack Handy?
Does anyone out there remember those silly Saturday Night Live skits "Deep thoughts by Jack Handy?" http://www.deepthoughtsbyjackhandey.com/ (No, I wasn't always Miss Holy and yes I'm that old...) But anyway, I think Jack needed deliverance... he had some pretty ridiculous thoughts.
But I guess my point is this. Don't we all? Especially when it comes to our relationship with the Lord. One thing I've had to learn is that true intimacy with God starts with thoughts. How you might ask? Well our perception of our relationship with God will always be what we experience. If we think God doesn't speak to us, well guess what, we won't be able to hear his voice. Or if we think, he's upset with us and feeling guilty, those condemning thoughts will actually serve to separate us from God. Not because he's separated from us, but because we believe that He is. What we believe or perceive will end up being truth for us, even if it's not really true. Did that make sense? Am I sounding like Jack yet?
Anyway, my point is this: Sometimes we feel like we are million miles away from God, when in reality that's impossible. Think about it, if you have confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then he lives inside of you and you were joined to Him (1 Cor. 6:17) . How can you be far away from someone who is one with you? But if you are like me and didn't grow up in a good word teaching church, your head was chalked full of religious ideas. For years, I know that I always had this nagging feeling that God was mad at me or not pleased with me for some reason. I was so aware of my inability to keep his commandments that my conscience was constantly condemning me. I had no revelation about how to live by grace.
But then I remember, one day in prayer, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "Schlyce, if you're going to spend quality time with me, you are going to have to press past the lies you've been taught and believed in the past. You are going to have to take me at my word. I love you and I love to spend time with you. I do not see your sin. Jesus became your sin 2,000 years ago on the cross. It's over. So get over it. Quit feeling bad about something that has already been dealt with. If I don't remember your sins, why should you." Man, that set me free. Here I was spending all this time thinking about my sins rather than Jesus.
Another lie that I had to press past is the one that it's hard to hear God, when in reality that is not in line with God's word. The word is full of scriptures telling us that God speaks to us. In fact Jer. 33:3, tells us that when we call upon him, he will answer us and show us great and mighty things that we knowest not. God isn't rude. He doesn't ignore us when we speak to him. He doesn't use caller i.d. to screen us when we call. He always hears and answers us. In fact, he lives inside of us so even if we wanted to escape him, it's impossible. Ephesians 1:23 says that we are His very body, the fullness of Him, that filleth all (KJV). That means very simply that we are one with Him and the fullness of His presence is everywhere.
But is that our perception? Are we looking for a "feeling" or a external "sign" to prove to us that God is with us, listening and yes, talking back? We serve Love himself. He lives inside us. He's in every breath we take. He's not mad, disappointed, or surprised by anything I say or do. One of my favorites Psalms to meditate on is Psalm 139. When you get a moment, check it out. Read it in the New Living Translation if you have one or visit http://www.biblegateway.com/ for an online version. I read this Psalm a lot in my quiet time to help me get my perception right about how to approach God - believing that he's right there with me, at that moment, excited about getting to spend some quality time with me. And you know, once I get my perception right, I hear the most amazing things from the Lord.
So I urge you to approach the throne boldly today knowing that the throne is actually in your heart. And I think you'll agree with me that deep thoughts from the throne are infinitely deeper than any Jack Handy ever had...
Love,
Schlyce
But I guess my point is this. Don't we all? Especially when it comes to our relationship with the Lord. One thing I've had to learn is that true intimacy with God starts with thoughts. How you might ask? Well our perception of our relationship with God will always be what we experience. If we think God doesn't speak to us, well guess what, we won't be able to hear his voice. Or if we think, he's upset with us and feeling guilty, those condemning thoughts will actually serve to separate us from God. Not because he's separated from us, but because we believe that He is. What we believe or perceive will end up being truth for us, even if it's not really true. Did that make sense? Am I sounding like Jack yet?
Anyway, my point is this: Sometimes we feel like we are million miles away from God, when in reality that's impossible. Think about it, if you have confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then he lives inside of you and you were joined to Him (1 Cor. 6:17) . How can you be far away from someone who is one with you? But if you are like me and didn't grow up in a good word teaching church, your head was chalked full of religious ideas. For years, I know that I always had this nagging feeling that God was mad at me or not pleased with me for some reason. I was so aware of my inability to keep his commandments that my conscience was constantly condemning me. I had no revelation about how to live by grace.
But then I remember, one day in prayer, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, "Schlyce, if you're going to spend quality time with me, you are going to have to press past the lies you've been taught and believed in the past. You are going to have to take me at my word. I love you and I love to spend time with you. I do not see your sin. Jesus became your sin 2,000 years ago on the cross. It's over. So get over it. Quit feeling bad about something that has already been dealt with. If I don't remember your sins, why should you." Man, that set me free. Here I was spending all this time thinking about my sins rather than Jesus.
Another lie that I had to press past is the one that it's hard to hear God, when in reality that is not in line with God's word. The word is full of scriptures telling us that God speaks to us. In fact Jer. 33:3, tells us that when we call upon him, he will answer us and show us great and mighty things that we knowest not. God isn't rude. He doesn't ignore us when we speak to him. He doesn't use caller i.d. to screen us when we call. He always hears and answers us. In fact, he lives inside of us so even if we wanted to escape him, it's impossible. Ephesians 1:23 says that we are His very body, the fullness of Him, that filleth all (KJV). That means very simply that we are one with Him and the fullness of His presence is everywhere.
But is that our perception? Are we looking for a "feeling" or a external "sign" to prove to us that God is with us, listening and yes, talking back? We serve Love himself. He lives inside us. He's in every breath we take. He's not mad, disappointed, or surprised by anything I say or do. One of my favorites Psalms to meditate on is Psalm 139. When you get a moment, check it out. Read it in the New Living Translation if you have one or visit http://www.biblegateway.com/ for an online version. I read this Psalm a lot in my quiet time to help me get my perception right about how to approach God - believing that he's right there with me, at that moment, excited about getting to spend some quality time with me. And you know, once I get my perception right, I hear the most amazing things from the Lord.
So I urge you to approach the throne boldly today knowing that the throne is actually in your heart. And I think you'll agree with me that deep thoughts from the throne are infinitely deeper than any Jack Handy ever had...
Love,
Schlyce
Sunday, August 13, 2006
The Power of the Secret Place
Wow! Think about it for a second. We have access to God Almighty through the shed blood of Jesus. We can come boldly to the throne of God for help and mercy in our time of need. There is no separation between God and me. We are one. He lives in me and I live in him. We go everywhere together. He never leaves me or forsakes me. He never gives up on me, talks down to me, or gossips about me. He always has me on his mind and is always thinking good thoughts about me. I can approach him without fear because Jesus paid the full price for my sins and I no longer have to be afraid or ashamed. He's not mad at me and he's never in a bad mood. He doesn't care what I look like or if I was perfect today. He loves me the same today, yesterday and forever and is coming back to get me so that I can be with him forever. Wow! Nothing compares to the love of God. Nothing compares to his goodness. Nothing compares to his glory.
I am so blessed just knowing that I belong to him. I love the secret place of His presence. How about you?
Food for thought on a lazy Sunday afternoon...
I am so blessed just knowing that I belong to him. I love the secret place of His presence. How about you?
Food for thought on a lazy Sunday afternoon...
Love,
Schlyce
Lily of the Valley....
Well, I couldn't get very far into this adventure without introducing everyone to my precious little girl Lily. She's 4 1/2 months old and definitely the apple of my eye. Motherhood is absolutely blissful! What more can I say... Except that I owe the fact that I even have a daughter to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I told you I couldn't talk for 5 minutes without mentioning Jesus... (smile). But for those of you who may not know, Lily is a miracle baby. You see, I only have one fallopian tube and the doctor's told me that there was a good chance that I wouldn't be able to conceive. But hey, what do they know? They sure didn't know or understand that I had placed my heart and future in the best physician around - Dr. Jesus. He's never met a barren woman that he couldn't heal. For Jesus, having Lily was no big deal. But as for me and my faith - that was another story. It was definitely a process. First I miscarried and then I had to endure a failed attempt at home birth and subsequent c-section after learning that Lily was breech and presenting hind end first. But all's well that ends well and all I can say it that she's more than worth it!By the way, Lily's name is from my favorite chapter in the Bible - Song of Solomon 1:1-2.
"I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters."
Yes, my first name is Sharon (Schlyce is actually my middle name) and so this verse just meant so much to me as I stood in faith to have my little girl. I mean as I meditated and meditated on that scripture, Lily became so real to me, even before she was conceived. I just knew that I was going to have a little girl named Lily. As far as I was concerned, I was the rose of Sharon and the Lily of the valleys, so having Lily just had to happen! Which of course, Jesus (also known as the Word) was more than happy to produce.
So be blessed today and remember...
God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on)by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. - 1 Corinthians 1:9
Love,
Schlyce
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Hello World!
Well, I guess it's official. I tried to resist, but what can I say, here I am. I finally decided to hop onto the blogger bandwagon. I guess I finally got it - - what an awesome way to share the joy of knowing Jesus. I mean where else can you have a real, uninterrupted conversation with the world?
Of course, for those of you that know me, this probably is no surprise. You've already figured out that not only do I love to talk, but I'm crazy in love with Jesus. So much so in fact, that I just can't seem to keep him to myself. I mean honestly, just holding a conversation for 5 minutes without talking about Jesus is almost impossible for me. But even so, I don't think I'm weird, I actually think to live any other way isn't really living.
Ya know, the word says that those who have been forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47). So maybe I'm just one of those who realizes how utterly and hopelessly lost I'd be without Jesus. I'm just sooooo thankful that I know him and it's my heart's cry for others to know him too. I mean not just know of him, have read about him, or even prayed to him. I mean really know him - intimately - the way you know your best friend or sister or brother or mom or dad or husband or wife. I mean to know him so well, that you know, that you know, that you know, that nothing in all of creation can compare to him. And because of that he becomes your obsession...not money, not cars, not people, not the past, not your future, but him. Becuase once you know him that way, you realize that he's the only thing that will every really satisfy the longings of your heart.
So world, here I am. But readers beware, my heartfealt prayer is that whoever joins this crazy blog ride with me, becomes a crazy, love-sick, Jesus freak just like me. :)
Totally His,
Schlyce
Of course, for those of you that know me, this probably is no surprise. You've already figured out that not only do I love to talk, but I'm crazy in love with Jesus. So much so in fact, that I just can't seem to keep him to myself. I mean honestly, just holding a conversation for 5 minutes without talking about Jesus is almost impossible for me. But even so, I don't think I'm weird, I actually think to live any other way isn't really living.
Ya know, the word says that those who have been forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47). So maybe I'm just one of those who realizes how utterly and hopelessly lost I'd be without Jesus. I'm just sooooo thankful that I know him and it's my heart's cry for others to know him too. I mean not just know of him, have read about him, or even prayed to him. I mean really know him - intimately - the way you know your best friend or sister or brother or mom or dad or husband or wife. I mean to know him so well, that you know, that you know, that you know, that nothing in all of creation can compare to him. And because of that he becomes your obsession...not money, not cars, not people, not the past, not your future, but him. Becuase once you know him that way, you realize that he's the only thing that will every really satisfy the longings of your heart.
So world, here I am. But readers beware, my heartfealt prayer is that whoever joins this crazy blog ride with me, becomes a crazy, love-sick, Jesus freak just like me. :)
Totally His,
Schlyce
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